a) Based on the assigned readings (and in your opinion), what is the greatest
advantage digital technology offers the field of education? Make references to the
assigned articles wherever necessary. (Target Length: 200 words).
Nowadays, the importance of digital tools in assisting the educational process is gaining
momentum due to the rapid development of the technology. While some people argue
that classrooms should be low-tech and implement the traditional approaches of
teaching, others are in the opinion that digital technology should be wisely exploited due
to its numerous benefits. My view is that technology should be used in the studying
process because it creates a perfect environment for cooperation between students and
their teachers, eliminating the distance and time boundaries. As a University student
who has been studying online for two years now, I think that being able to communicate
with professors and peers is vital, and digital tools have given me that opportunity.
According to Panworld Education (2017), with the help of digital tools, creating and
managing groups for instructors is less challenging; and they increase the speed of the
data shared. Raut & Patil (2016) present the same viewpoint, stating that use of one of
the types of digital tools, which is social media, can prevent students from feeling
isolated. Moreover, they claim that use of digital technology in the classroom motivates
students to cooperate with each other and develop their inventiness. Social media was
also claimed to offer various convenient tools for information sharing, such as posting,
coping and searching. It has the potential to positively affect exchange of views and
collaboration between students (Boateng & Amankwaa, 2016). In conclusion, even
though some individuals may describe social media and digital technology as
unnecessary in the educational process, I believe that the usage of digital tools should
be highly encouraged, as they create strong bonds between the students and
instructors outside the classroom, as well as make this collaboration more convenient.
b) Share a personal experience where you had to engage in a rhetorical situation.
What did you learn from this experience? (Target length: 200 words)
Rhetoric is a form of persuasive communication which is present everywhere in our
society. Usually we do not even realise how often we are exposed to the persuasive
power of rhetoric: a tradesman on market who is trying to sell us his goods, a politician
on TV who is confidently debating with her opponent to win the elections or a student
who is convincing his teacher that his homework was indeed eaten by his dog.
I also encountered rhetoric in my life and one of the most memorable ones is when I
was watching a debate at school. The topic of the debate was whether or not students
of our school should be allowed to bring their mobile phones to school and use them in
the educational process. So, the debaters needed to consider the audience, the
purpose, text and context when choosing which side of the argument to support. If the
audience consisted of teachers only, it would be wise to say that phones should not be
allowed (teachers do not like them in class as they keep distracting students). However,
if the students were in the majority, then the idea of allowing phones is more compelling.
The purpose is highly connected with the audience here, precisely to make arguments
strong enough to convince the audience. The text and the context adjustments will also
depend on who is listening, and what style should be used. Only now, after many years,
I realize what the debating teams had to consider before making their arguments in front
of the whole school there.
c) Watch these two videos. Which one do you find more persuasive? Discuss.
To be honest, I could not choose between these two advertisements and I found them both
to be persuasive enough. The reason is that I think they have different proportions of types
of persuasion described by Aristotle (Logos, Ethos and Pathos). They both have the Pathos
component, as we know these organizations to be highly trustworthy and credible.
However, the Greenpeace video I think involved more Logos in their message. Precisely, it
addressed the pain and challenges by showing the destructive actions which are being
done to our planet. The second video by WWF seemed to have more Pathos or emotional
connection to me. By showing people with different demographic backgrounds, they
created some kind of a bond between the people in the audience and it reinforced their
message.